


One for the Road

by PleaseDonateBlood



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, M/M, Nonbinary Sirius Black, Remus Needs a Kidney, Road Trips, Sick Remus Lupin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 08:17:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16636262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PleaseDonateBlood/pseuds/PleaseDonateBlood
Summary: “Listen, my name is Remus Lupin and this doesn’t make any sense and you have no reason to trust me but I need you to get in my car and come with me to Spokane!”Remus never stood still, eyes twisting and pallor even paler and more unhealthy looking now that he was in the light, tawny curls escaping from under an unraveling knit cap on his head, and golden eyes desperate. Sirius shrugged, pushing away from the bench. “Sure, let’s go.”When you get the call that an organ's available, you drop everything and you get there. By any means necessary. Sirius Black is definitely the latter: necessary.





	One for the Road

It really said something about the sad state of society today, Sirius shoved themself up indignantly, that people couldn’t even differentiate between the punk rock people sitting casually on a corner sipping from a neat, ordinary cup, and the entirely different scruffy of the weary homeless people holding out worn cardboard cups for donations. Was it too much to ask, they wondered, to just listen to music and watch the bustle of the intersection without someone reaching out and dropping a filthy handful of coins directly into their drink? Sure, maybe Sirius could pick a better place to sit, or could switch out the paint-splattered, faded and patched jeans and the worn leather jacket. But why should they have to dull their entire aesthetic for the benefit of these misguided do-gooders. Please.

Sirius stalked down the sidewalk, dumping their cup into a trashcan as they passed and dropping onto a bench by the side of the road. They wound their fingers through the metal rungs of the armrest, leaned back, and closed their eyes. Finally, a spring day that actually counted as spring. The breeze smelled tantalizingly of the gardens nearby, and past the quiet music drifting through their headphones, Sirius could hear birds flitting overhead, squirrels rummaging through the branches of the trees. They vaguely considered pulling out their sketchbook to try to capture the way the water was burbling in the fountain behind them, but instead opted to stretch as the sun washed onto them through the branches of the swaying trees above. Sirius grinned to themself. And James had said they wouldn’t enjoy Seattle. It was cozy in a way they hadn’t thought cities could be, and it had a charm, peaceful and –

A loud honk that came from too close by interrupted their musings, and Sirius’ eyes flew open as they jerked to their feet. There was a car parked just a few feet away from them, with the passenger window rolled down and the driver frantically gesticulating and mouthing at Sirius. They heard the word “money,” and felt another tug of indignant righteousness. Sirius was the least homeless-looking on this street, how the hell did people keep – The man’s gestures became more frantic, urging them toward the car. They raised an eyebrow, then pulled a headphone out.

“Sorry, mate, you couldn’t afford this,” Sirius called out with a lazy smirk, gesturing across their torso, then leaned back on the bench, crossing their legs. The man in the car blushed furiously, and Sirius grinned. He was cute, in a book-ish, librarian sort of way, with a light-coloured scarf wrapped around his neck and a dark cap on his head despite the warm weather. Bit pale, but Seattle’s infamous lack of sun could account for that, they supposed. The grin slipped from their face a moment later, when the man threw his car into park and slid into his passenger seat, stumbling out the passenger door towards them. Sirius stood warily, ready to dash. James had said not to get murdered in the city, but they’d imagined it as an epic murder in a dark alley by a tall, dark man in a trenchcoat that still managed to display terrific ads and smoldering eyes that-

“Please, just hear me out!” The man’s lips were very chapped, and his voice was raspier and deeper than Sirius had anticipated, a bit rougher. He sounded panicked and urgent. Sirius supposed he had the height of the tall, dark man in the trenchcoat. He could even have the abs, Sirius mused, eying him up and down for a moment. And really, murder wasn’t-

“Listen, my name is Remus Lupin and this doesn’t make any sense and you have no reason to trust me but I need you to get in my car and come with me to Spokane!”

Remus never stood still, eyes twisting and pallor even paler and more unhealthy looking now that he was standing in the light, tawny curls escaping from under an unraveling knit cap on his head, and golden eyes desperate. Sirius shrugged, pushing away from the bench.

“Sure, let’s go.” Sirius stepped past Remus towards the car, then glanced back at where the man had tilted his head. “What?” Sirius asked defensively, pulling out the headphones and rolling them into their pocket.

Remus stared at them a second, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “no sense of self preservation” before rushing past them to scramble into the still running car, waving urgently at Sirius when they paused for a moment to adjust their bag on their shoulder. The car door had barely closed behind them when Remus jerked away from the curb and sped into traffic. Sirius took a moment to study his profile, noting the exhausted eyes and the unhealthy pallor of skin again.

“So-“

“So-“

They both broke off expectantly, and Remus’ death grip on the steering wheel loosened minutely, his eyes still fixed on the road ahead as he drove a consistent 8 miles over the speed limit. “Go ahead.”

Sirius grinned, glancing around the car. “Spokane?”

Remus straightened in his seat, glancing over for a moment. “Oh! Right! Um, you mean how far? Or…?”

“What is it?” Sirius asked simply. Remus balked for a moment, assessing gaze darting over as if to determine whether they were joking.

“D’you mean…” Remus asked slowly, and Sirius shrugged.

“Is it the name of a park, a library, an amusement park, what’s Spokane?” Remus was silent for a moment, looking puzzled, and Sirius took that moment to tack on, “Though I suppose ETA would be helpful too. Have I signed on for a road trip? I do have a flight tomorrow.” If the flight had to be cancelled, they still had time to cancel and reschedule since it was over 24 hours ahead, and maybe they’d be able to get a better deal than the original red-eye. Though whether or not there’d be any good deals… maybe if they went as a stand-by for while… Sirius broke out of their musings as they realized Remus had been opening and closing his mouth for a few moments, still looking utterly bewildered. Sirius felt a dash of fondness at his obvious struggle, and generously added, “I’m not insane, just Canadian. I mean, I suppose you could argue… Anyway, we may be neighbours but sue me, I don’t have the US mapped out in my head.”

It startled a soft laugh from Remus, and a startled smile from Sirius because  _ that was so cute, what- _

“It’s a city.” Remus said, a grin still crinkling the corners of his eyes even as they remained locked on the road. “It’s, um, about 4 hours really, but, um, I have to make it in 3 so - so I have to make it in 3.”

3 hours… Somehow, it didn’t seem that daunting a perspective spending 3 hours in a car with him, Sirius mused. They were so unaccustomed to having a stranger’s presence be... Well, be not immediately awful. And fine, maybe it helped that he was cute, that his laugh was adorable and soft and that his cardigan pooled around his wrists and that his eyes-

“So what’s in this Spokane city?” Sirius asked loudly to interrupt their thoughts that would quickly, they knew, melt and trickle and mold any straight-forward thinking into mush. He just needed someone to ride with him, and Sirius was that someone, and that was that. Sirius forced themself to tune back in as Remus cleared his throat, hands nervously twisting on the wheel. Sirius deliberately glanced away as Remus’ tongue darted out to wet chapped lips, and they very nearly missed Remus’ quiet, firm words.

“So I need a kidney...“

There was a moment to process that Remus was still talking as Sirius’ eyes widened, then they felt their heart thud ominously as their mind whited out in panic. What had they been thinking, what had they been  _ thinking  _ ? They whirled around, fumbling for the door handle and twisting it, fingers trembling, to no avail. Locked. Locked in a speeding car with a cute, innocent-looking man who was going to harvest them for their kidneys, James had warned them and they hadn’t listened, and Remus’ laugh had been adorable and his eyes shined with a smile that didn’t reach his lips and their downstairs brain was always going to be their downfall but not like this, a  _ kidney  _ -

“Breathe!” Remus cried, a hand on their shoulder now, and Sirius gasped in a breath, mind whirling in terror and trying to remember when they’d stopped breathing. Their heart was thundering in their ears, and they had to focus to hear Remus’ desperate voice. “Not yours, not your kidney, sorry, sorry! I meant, like a transplant, like a kidney transplant from a hospital from someone who – an – already dead person!”

“W-why am I-I-“ Sirius managed to stammer, heart still pounding in their throat, and Remus’ hand shot back to the steering wheel as he made a swerving turn onto the highway, his eyes darting between Sirius and the road.

“They – they called for the transplant and I – you have to be there in 3 hours or it won’t – it doesn’t last that long so – and I was supposed to have… someone – someone to take me but I…” Sirius felt their heart rate begin to slow, still fluttering in their chest as they exhaled slowly. He wasn’t after  _ Sirius’  _ kidneys, he was just the absolute worst person at explaining things to ever exist. And he wasn’t finished apparently. Remus cleared his throat and stammered on as Sirius exhaled slowly again. “Anyway, the only way I get there fast enough is this, I just needed you as a body.“

Sirius jolted again, and Remus slapped a hand against his forehead without looking away from the road. “Commuter lane body!” He cried, then coughed and stumbled on. “Sorry! I’m sorry I’m sorry, I’m really bad at this, I’ve been – I waited years for this. I just needed a – a person in the car to – as a commuter lane person to - to get to the hospital on time. The other lane traffic, I’ll be late and I - I’ve been on dialysis and it’s  _ hell  _ and I - I’m never going to get another, I - I can’t miss this organ.” They were both breathing hard at the end of this explanation, Sirius’ gaze on their shaking hands, and Remus’ still darting between Sirius and the road as the car shot into the commuter lane and roared ahead of the cars that seemed to stall as they passed them. A mile passed in silence, Remus anxiously shifting in his seat and Sirius’s mind slowly working through the last few minutes. Then, inexplicably, Sirius burst into laughter. Remus startled, slowing for a moment as he glanced at Sirius as if they were mad, and Sirius leaned forward in his seat, absolutely cackling. This man, this  _ man _ , Remus – Sirius could hardly think for the hilarity of it, and they leaned over in their seat, breathless with laughter. He needed someone to qualify for the commuter lane and he’d explained it as “I need a kidney” and then “I need you as a body.” Sirius leaned their head back, still laughing, then turned to look at Remus. The baffled expression wrinkling his forehead made Sirius split into laughter again, and their shoulders shook with mirth as they pulled their phone out to text James. Oh, right. No signal in America.

“That was - that was -” Sirius wiped their eyes, trying to stifle the laughter. “Wow. No one is ever going to believe this story, Remus, that was… wow.” Remus raised a hand from the wheel to nervously adjust his scarf, cheeks going pink, and Sirius glanced away as they felt their cheeks warm slightly.  _ Wow  _ they had it bad. “Wanna start over?” Sirius offered, glancing tentatively over as they whizzed past a semi-truck that almost seemed stationary.  

“Please. Sorry about… Um, yes.” Remus blew out a breath, eyes still focused on the road. 12 miles above the speed limit, Sirius noted. He cleared his throat for almost too long, then glanced over at Sirius. “Did you want to…?”

“Go ahead, give me an introduction to the Remus Lupin.” Sirius said, leaning back in their seat again and crossing their legs.

“Um. Right. So, Remus Lupin, like I said. End stage renal disease, I’ve been, um, on dialysis if you – if you know what that is, and – yeah they have a kidney for me, I’ve been on the list for a while but, um… yeah I got the - the call. What, uh, what else are we saying?”

Sirius considered for a moment. “Superpower if you could pick one, city of origin, pronouns, ice cream flavor you would invent given the chance, and animal that should be melded with humans to create a better centaur.”

Remus’ eyes had widened throughout, and his long, slim fingers drummed against the steering wheel for a moment as he thought. “Okay… Transformation, Damascus, he/him… Quadruple chocolate fudge with caramel, and… jaguar.”

Sirius’ eyebrows shot up with interest, and Remus glanced at them then raised an eyebrow of his own, tone defensive. “Are you trying to say a human-jaguar hybrid wouldn’t be incredible because-“

“Not at all, that would be epic,” Sirius said slowly, “but Syrian, huh, I hadn’t pegged that.”

Remus’ shoulders squared, and his tone was stiffer. “If you’re trying to-“

Sirius waved him off with a grin, and Remus looked puzzled as he glanced away from the road, then slammed on the accelerator again. As they shot forward, Sirius turned toward Remus fully in their seat, brushing their hair back behind their ear.

“Sirius Black, randomly kidnapped from a park bench because some guy needed a body to get a kidney-“ Sirius allowed themself a smirk as Remus flushed, then continued. “Flying, Tripoli-not-the-Libya-one, they/them, sunflower seed sorbet, and wolves.”

Remus had turned away from the wheel with a stunned expression at the second answer, and there was a moment in which he seemed to struggle with words, before his shoulders relaxed and a smile drifted across his lips. “Werewolves already exist so that’s technically cheating.” He murmured, and Sirius made a sound of mock outrage.

“How  _ dare  _ you, sir, are you saying there is no other possible combination of wolves and humans than in werewolf form?” Remus laughed again, but Sirius cut across him. “And furthermore, someone who picked  _ transformation  _ as their super power clearly doesn’t-“

“You picked flying!” Remus said, wrist lifting from the wheel to rap against their shoulder, and Sirius felt a spark of warmth at the contact, at the way Remus’ eyes lit up with amusement. “You’re aware planes exist? I’m-” Remus broke off with a cough that quickly became a deeper cough that sounded dry and painful and kept  _ going  _ . Sirius shifted in their seat, reaching out a concerned hand and letting it hover as Remus’ eyes teared up and narrowed with the cough. Sirius shifted unconsciously to face him, and their leg brushed the door pocket, the handle, and the tip of a plastic water bottle.

“Here!” Sirius thrust it at Remus, whose eyes darted from the road for a moment as a hand rose to rub at their throat, speed not dipping below 78. Remus glanced at them for a brief second, the car never slowing, then shook his head. Sirius lowered the bottle, resting it against their leg in confusion. It seemed like miles had passed by the time the cough had subsided, and Remus’ tongue darted out to lick his very dry lips again.

“Was that… because of the kidney thing?” Sirius asked hesitantly, and Remus cleared his throat several times before he answered, voice even rougher.

“It’s fine, I just can’t drink - Well, it’s basically a fluid restriction. Because of the dialysis. It would just build up and then I’d get blood pressure issues and just feel… gross in general.” Sirius felt their heart sink at this, and their face must have reflected it when Remus’ gaze darted from the road to them, because he hurriedly went on. “It’s not bad, though, I can usually keep it under control, and - and if I get a kidney today, I’ll…” A large Jeep with several precarious-looking boats tied to its roof shot by, along with several pick-up trucks and a lone taxi, as Sirius gazed out the window, blinking a bit too fast. The silence seemed too loud, and Sirius glanced over, and their eyes widened. There were tears sliding down Remus’ face, eyes still fixed on the road but bright with tears that were still welling, and he let out a shaky breath as Sirius’ hand closed on his shoulder before Sirius made any conscious decision to do so. “Sorry,” Remus breathed, voice tremulous. “This is silly, I-” His voice faded as he bit his lip tightly, another tear escaping, and his voice was a strained whisper. “I just can’t even  _ imagine  _ how it’ll be to just -  _ not  _ have all of…  _ this. _ ” Sirius felt their chest tighten in response, and they inched closer in their seat as their hand rubbed Remus’ arm gently.

“Hey,” Sirius whispered, and Remus glanced over, eyes darting between Sirius and the endless, curving lane. “I’m _ really  _ glad you’re getting this organ, Remus.” A tear dripped down Remus’ cheek into his faded scarf before his face split into a beaming smile that made Sirius’ free hand clench in their lap.

“Thank you.” Remus locked eyes with them, reaching a hand up to cover theirs, warm fingers resting firmly against Sirius'. Cars blurred by as the moment held, held - Then a Honda lumbered into the lane ahead of them and Remus’ hand wiped across his face quickly then dropped back to the wheel as he muttered something incoherent and glanced around. Sirius lifted their own hand regretfully from Remus’ shoulder and peered out the windows.

“What are you trying to-”

Remus answered the question as it was asked. He nodded to himself for a moment before shooting out of the commuter lane ahead of a mini-van that tapped a honk at him. Sirius turned to stare incredulously at him as Remus sped ahead, fingers tapping agitatedly at the wheel as the car in front of him inched forward until he could - Sirius’ hand tightened on the door handle as the car shot back into the commuter lane ahead of the other, and they couldn’t help but glance around, to listen for sirens.

“Sooo does this state not have cops, or-”

“It’s fine,” Remus mumbled, not looking at them as his fingers tightened on the wheel and their speed increased again. Sirius forced down a smile, and as Remus glanced over, he seemed to be stifling one too. “So flying then, you’re catching a flight and haven’t heard of planes?” Remus remarked casually, tilting his head, a strand of hair falling across his eyes, and Sirius’ fingers lifted without their permission-

“Shut up, not like that,” Sirius shot back, losing their nerve and brushing their own hair behind their ear instead. “Flying without anything, just straight up into the sky. Though I guess if I had to fly  _ on  _ something, a flying car could be cool. Or, a flying motorbike! It could-“ Sirius’ eyes caught on the speedometer. “Remus Lupin, you are going 18 miles over the speed limit and I get that we’re in the commuter line dashing by the less fortunate but getting pulled over will more than make up for the time you save, trust me mate I’ve been pulled over  _ plenty  _ and I can safely say-” But their words faded again as the lanes to their right slowly extended into a sea of red brake lights. Sirius’ eyes widened. Sure, they didn’t take the freeway much but they’d heard of rush hour and  _ this?  _ This was-

" _Hell._ ” Sirius gasped, and whirled to face Remus to find him looking amused even without glancing away from the road that was bolting away beneath them. “What the  _ actual hell?”  _ Sirius murmured in disbelief, gaze going back to the endless expanse of motionless cars stretched beside them, blending into the horizon with no end in sight. Even as Remus had slowed momentarily, the cars still passed in a whirl as they reached the traffic and whirled past it. Sirius couldn’t make out faces in any of the cars blurring by, and they wondered how there could be that many drivers traveling alone. They glanced over at Remus, whose eyes still seemed to glow with the warmth of the beaming smile he’d given Sirius. Sirius clicked their phone to check the time, then grinned: all this, in just a half hour. Hold that kidney, Spokane, they thought wryly as the ancient Chevy in front of them exited the lane and Remus shot forward again. We’re coming.


End file.
